Hello, stay at home moms! Do you suffer from “The Grass Is Always Greener” mentality?  You know, you always find what’s wrong with everything and imagine that if circumstances were different, then life would, clearly, be better?

If we lived down the street from so-and-so, our kids would frolic in the front yard and play happily for hours. Or…

If we home-schooled, we could do WHATEVER we want, WHENEVER we want! No schedule to tie us down. And no rules, woo hoo! Or…

If ALL our kids were already in school, we’d have SO MUCH TIME to get stuff done, and that would be ah-mazing. Or…

I wish my kids were young again. I really MISS holding them and having them cling to me all the time. Or…

When summer starts we’ll finally have freedom. Or…

When summer is over, we will finally have some structure! Or…

If it could just get a little cooler outside, we’d be at the park EVERYDAY… Or…

When the weather warms up, we’ll get our Vitamin D… Or…

Fill in the blank.

The struggle is real. Shockingly, one decision I’ve never struggled with is whether or not to stay at home with my kids. However, as someone who values the feeling of accomplishment that working can give, I definitely had to learn to love stay at home mom life. The grass is plenty green right here!

Here are seven reasons to love being a stay at home mom:

1. You can take time out to deal with the needs of your family as they arise. If your first grader has a rough morning, you can drop by his school and eat lunch with him in the middle of the day.  If someone gets sick, it may inconvenience you, but you don’t have to worry about disappointing your (non-existent) co-workers or boss.
2. You can be there for your friends and neighbors if they need you, and you have extra time to volunteer.  If your friend gets a foster care placement, you can make her a meal and drop it off by 4 PM. You can offer up an hour to help in your kids’ classrooms. No, we don’t want anyone to assume that we’re free labor, but it is nice to be able to help!
3. You can spend time with other stay at home mom friends in the middle of the day.  Look, we aren’t all sitting down eating bon-bons and watching Netflix at 10 AM. (Or at least I am not.) My friends are hard-working go-getters. But we CAN make time to go to the park for lunch with our littles once a week. This is so life-giving!
4. Quantity time turns into unplanned quality time. Some of the sweetest surprises happen when you are together all day at home without an agenda. As you experience life together, you become a ninja at meeting their needs. Sure, they may whine a little more to you, but they feel secure, which gives you a lot of peace.
5. You don’t feel bad getting a babysitter because you have plenty of time together.  Mom guilt happens regardless, but it is nice when you DO need a babysitter to be able reason with yourself. “He will only be there for two hours, and then we will spend the entire rest of the day together.”
6. You can find creative ways to save money or contribute financially. Stay at home moms can make significant cash selling things on E-bay or working for their favorite MLM company. I know stay-at-home moms who are Spanish tutors, spin class instructors, photographers, bloggers, and real-estate agents. These girls make it happen, and they are inspiring!
7. There is time and space to discover the things you are passionate about. Yes, staying at home with kids is a real job if there ever was one, but it does allow time and flexibility to dream and let interests develop naturally. That way, when you DO have more time to go back to work, you will have a better idea of what you are good at and what you love.

What are some reasons that YOU love being a stay at home mom?